Hannover 96 passed their derby test against Bundesliga side Wolfsburg with flying colors, winning 3-2. Just a week before their second division season opener against Regensburg, the team showed great resilience to secure a victory. Despite a 1-4 defeat to Leeds United last Wednesday, Hannover bounced back to claim a well-deserved win over Wolfsburg, with Jessic Ngankam’s late header (88′) sealing the deal.
Halstenberg converted a penalty in the 9th minute to give Hannover the lead, but Wolfsburg leveled things at 1-1 through Kaminski. Another penalty opportunity for Hannover went begging as Halstenberg failed to convert (40′), with Wolfsburg capitalizing shortly after to take the lead through Amoura. However, Tresoldi equalized for Hannover shortly after the break with a superb finish (47′), before Ngankam’s late winner secured victory for the second division side.
Hannover coach Stefan Leitl expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, highlighting their determination to win and ability to endure pressure. Despite the positive result, Leitl believes there is still room for improvement. With the successful test passed, the players were rewarded with two days off. Hannover 96: Zieler – Neumann, Halstenberg (78. Uhlmann), Knight – Muroya (84. Momuluh), Kunze, Leopold (84. Ndikom), Dehm (59. Ezeh)– Nielsen, Gindorf (59. Lee) – Tresoldi (59. Ngankam). VfL Wolfsburg: Müller – Odugo (26. Amoako), Bornauw, Jenz – Baku (64. Cozza), Arnold (71. Gerhardt), Dardai (89. Dittrich), Kaminski – Bröger (46. Tiago), Behrens, Amoura (89. Benedict).